Apparatus and method for initiating remote content delivery by local user identification

Abstract

Merchant-media information is communicated to a selected user in response to a user identification (ID) being presented at a media location. According to one example embodiment, a user presents an ID tag to an ID tag reader at a merchant-media arrangement (e.g., a billboard, display screen, audio speaker or advertisement) having a media content ID. The ID tag communicates a user ID to the ID tag reader, and an information request signal including data representing the user ID and the media content ID is sent to a remote server. The remote server uses the user ID and the media content ID to send media content information (e.g., product data, a discount voucher, etc.) to a user address. With this approach, users can request and/or receive information at a point-of-use media display.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An interactive communications system for use in conveying information to a selected user having a communications-user-receipt address stored with respective other communications-user-receipt addresses for other users, the interactive communications system comprising: 
 a user-communications device including user identification (ID) data stored therein and being adapted to communicate the user ID data for the selected user;    a merchant-media arrangement having at least one merchant-media ID code and being adapted to receive and process the user ID data by sending a merchant-information-request signal that includes data representative of the merchant-media ID code and the user ID data; and    a data processing arrangement adapted to access, in response to receiving the merchant-information-request signal, stored merchant information corresponding to the merchant-media ID code and a stored communications-user-receipt address corresponding to the user ID data, and to send the accessed merchant information to the accessed communications-user-receipt address of the selected user.    
     
     
         2 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the user-communications device includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag including the user ID and adapted for transmitting the user ID via an RF signal and wherein the merchant-media arrangement includes an RFID reader adapted to read the RF signal.  
     
     
         3 . The interactive communications system of  claim 2 , wherein the RFID tag is adapted for transmitting the user ID via the RF signal in response to an activation signal.  
     
     
         4 . The interactive communications system of  claim 3 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement is adapted for transmitting the activation signal.  
     
     
         5 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the user-communications device is a wireless-communications device and includes a transponder adapted to transmit the user ID data in response to a signal received thereby.  
     
     
         6 . The interactive communications system of  claim 5 , wherein the wireless communications device includes a device selected from the group of: an identification card, travel card, payment card, loyalty card, an access key, a wireless telephone, a computer and a PDA.  
     
     
         7 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the user-communications device is a passive wireless-communications device adapted to transmit the user ID data in response to an activation signal from the merchant-media arrangement while using the activation signal to power the transmission of the user ID data.  
     
     
         8 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the user-communications device includes a power source used for communicating the user ID data.  
     
     
         9 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the user-communications device is adapted to physically interface with the merchant-media arrangement and to communicate the user ID data to the merchant-media arrangement via the physical interface.  
     
     
         10 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement is adapted to convey media information to a user in possession of the user-communications device.  
     
     
         11 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the user-communications device is a wireless-communications device;    the merchant-media arrangement includes at least two receivers spaced apart at a selected distance and adapted to receive user ID data from the wireless communications device; and    the wireless-communications device is adapted to transmit the user ID data for a selected range, the selected distance at which the at least two receivers are spaced being sufficient such that the wireless-communications device cannot simultaneously transmit the user ID data to both receivers.    
     
     
         12 . The interactive communications system of  claim 11 , wherein: 
 each receiver has a unique merchant-media ID code;    the merchant-media arrangement is adapted to send a merchant-information-request signal that includes data representative of the at least one merchant-media ID code from one of the at least two receivers that receives user ID data;    the selected user has at least two types of stored communications-user-receipt addresses; and    the data-processing arrangement is adapted to access a first one of the two types of stored communications-user-receipt addresses in response to receiving a merchant-information-request signal including data representative of a first one of the merchant-media ID codes, and to access a second one of the two types of stored communications-user-receipt addresses in response to receiving a merchant-information-request signal including data representative of a second one of the merchant-media ID codes.    
     
     
         13 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement is adapted to send the merchant-information request signal to the data processing arrangement via a wireless communications link.  
     
     
         14 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement is adapted to send the merchant-information request signal to the data processing arrangement via a wired communications link.  
     
     
         15 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the data processing arrangement is adapted for accessing the stored merchant information from a remote storage location.  
     
     
         16 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement further includes a user interface adapted to receive user inputs including merchant-information-type request input data, the merchant-media arrangement being adapted to receive and process the user ID data and the user inputs by sending a merchant-information-request signal that includes data representative of the merchant-media ID code, the user ID data and the merchant-information-type request input data.  
     
     
         17 . The interactive communications system of  claim 16 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement includes a user interface adapted for receiving the merchant-information-type request input data and conveying information to the selected user.  
     
     
         18 . The interactive communications system of  claim 17 , wherein the user interface includes at least one of: a wireless communications link adapted for wirelessly communicating with a wireless user device, a keypad, a touch screen and a manually-operable switch.  
     
     
         19 . The interactive communications system of  claim 16 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement is adapted to send merchant-information-type request input data that includes a communications medium type selection for selecting the a communications medium via which the stored merchant information is sent.  
     
     
         20 . The interactive communications system of  claim 16 , wherein the merchant-information-type request input data includes a communications medium type selection for sending the stored merchant information.  
     
     
         21 . The interactive communications system of  claim 16 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement includes a user interface adapted for receiving information from the data processing arrangement and for communicating the received information to a user at the merchant-media arrangement in response to the user-communications device communicating the user ID data.  
     
     
         22 . The interactive communications system of  claim 21 , wherein the user interface is adapted for communicating advertising media to the user at the merchant-media arrangement.  
     
     
         23 . The interactive communications system of  claim 22 , wherein the user interface is adapted for communicating at least two different types of advertising media to the user at exclusive time periods, wherein the merchant-media arrangement includes a unique merchant-media ID code for each of the at least two different types of advertising media and is adapted for sending a merchant-information-request signal including one of the unique merchant-media ID codes corresponding to the one of the at least two different types of advertising media being displayed when the user ID data is transmitted.  
     
     
         24 . The interactive communications system of  claim 21 , wherein the user interface is adapted for communicating the stored merchant information to the communications-user-receipt address of the selected user.  
     
     
         25 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement includes the data processing arrangement.  
     
     
         26 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , further comprising a feedback device adapted to communicate a signal to a user at the merchant-media arrangement when the merchant-media arrangement receives the user ID data.  
     
     
         27 . The interactive communications system of  claim 1 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement is further adapted to mitigate repetitive sending of a merchant-information-request signal in response to a user-communications device consecutively communicating the user ID data for the selected user.  
     
     
         28 . An interactive communications system for use in conveying information to a selected user, the interactive communications system comprising: 
 a wireless-communications device including user identification (ID) data stored therein and being adapted to transmit the user identification (ID) data;    a merchant-media arrangement having at least one merchant-media ID code and being adapted to receive and process the user ID data by sending a merchant-information-request signal that includes data representative of the merchant-media ID code and the user ID data;    a first memory storing respective predetermined communications-user-receipt addresses for selected users;    a second memory storing merchant information for the merchant-media ID code; and    a data processing arrangement adapted to receive the merchant-information-request signal and to access the first and second memories, and in response to the merchant-information request signal including data representative of user ID data that corresponds to one of the selected users, adapted to send the stored merchant information to the predetermined communications-user-receipt address of the one of the selected users.    
     
     
         29 . The interactive communications system of  claim 28 , wherein the data processing arrangement includes the first memory.  
     
     
         30 . The interactive communications system of  claim 29 , wherein the data processing arrangement includes the second memory.  
     
     
         31 . The interactive communications system of  claim 29 , wherein the merchant-media arrangement includes the second memory.  
     
     
         32 . The interactive communications system of  claim 28 , wherein the second memory is located at a remote merchant processing arrangement that is remote from the data processing arrangement and corresponds to the merchant-media ID code and wherein the data processing arrangement is adapted to send the stored merchant information to the predetermined communications-user-receipt address by sending the predetermined communications-user-receipt address to the remote merchant processing arrangement, which responds by sending the stored merchant information to the communications-user-receipt address of the selected user.  
     
     
         33 . The interactive communications system of  claim 28 , wherein the remote processing arrangement is adapted to send the stored merchant information directly to the wireless communications device via a wireless communications link.  
     
     
         34 . For use with an interactive communications system having a data processing arrangement that stores respective communications-user-receipt addresses for selected user IDs and sends selectable merchant information to selectable communications-user-receipt addresses, a merchant-media arrangement comprising: 
 a display media for displaying information available from a merchant;    a receiver adapted to wirelessly receive user identification (ID) data from a user communications device;    a memory adapted to store at least one merchant-media ID code that identifies media displayed at the merchant-media arrangement; and    a wireless transmitter adapted to wirelessly send a merchant-information-request signal that includes data representative of the merchant-media ID code and user ID data received by the receiver, the merchant-information-request signal indicating to the interactive communications system a selected communications-user-receipt address as a function of the user ID data and indicating selected merchant information for sending to the selected communications-user-receipt address as a function of the stored merchant-media ID code.    
     
     
         35 . The merchant-media arrangement of  claim 34 , wherein the display media includes an active display media including at least one of: video data and audio data.  
     
     
         36 . The merchant-media arrangement of  claim 34 , further including a plurality of RFID readers, each RFID reader having a unique ID that identifies the merchant media arrangement.  
     
     
         37 . The merchant-media arrangement of  claim 34 , wherein the receiver, the memory and the wireless transmitter are included in a portable add-on arrangement adapted for coupling to existing display media.  
     
     
         38 . The merchant-media arrangement of  claim 37 , wherein the portable add-on arrangement has a re-programmable merchant-media ID code programmed to correspond to a merchant offering the display media to which the portable add-on arrangement is coupled.  
     
     
         39 . The merchant-media arrangement of  claim 34 , wherein the display media, receiver, memory and wireless transmitter are included in a mobile arrangement adapted for coupling to a moving display location.  
     
     
         40 . The merchant-media arrangement of  claim 39 , wherein the mobile arrangement is adapted for coupling to at least one of: a bus, a subway, a boat, an airplane and a train.  
     
     
         41 . For use with an interactive communications system that stores respective communications-user-receipt addresses for selected users, a method of conveying information to one of the selected users, the method comprising: 
 wirelessly communicating user identification (ID) data for the one selected user to a merchant-media arrangement having at least one merchant-media ID code;    sending a merchant-information-request signal that includes data representative of the merchant-media ID code and the user ID data from the merchant media arrangement; and    at a data processing arrangement, receiving the merchant-information-request signal and, in response thereto, accessing stored merchant information that corresponds to the merchant-media ID code and sending the stored merchant information to a communications-user-receipt address that corresponds to the user ID data.    
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein wirelessly communicating user ID data includes wirelessly activating a transponder and, in response thereto, wirelessly communicating the user ID data to the merchant-media arrangement.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein wirelessly activating the transponder includes sending a wireless RF signal from the merchant-media arrangement to the transponder.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the data processing arrangement is remotely located from the merchant-media arrangement and wherein sending a merchant-information request signal includes sending a signal to the data processing arrangement via a wireless communications link.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising registering a communications-user-receipt address that corresponds to the user ID data with the data processing arrangement and wherein sending the stored merchant information includes sending the stored merchant information to the registered communications-user-receipt address.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising registering with the data processing arrangement a merchant registration status that corresponds to the merchant-media ID code, the merchant registration status being indicative of the currency of a particular merchant's registration, wherein accessing stored merchant information includes determining that the merchant-media ID code corresponds to a current merchant registration status and wherein sending the stored merchant information includes sending the stored merchant information in response to the merchant registration status being current.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising communicating user-input data via a user interface at the merchant-media arrangement, wherein sending the merchant-information request signal includes sending data representative of the user-input data and wherein accessing stored merchant information and sending the stored merchant information includes accessing and sending the stored merchant information in response to the data representative of the user-input data.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising communicating merchant-media data to the one selected user via the merchant-media arrangement.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein communicating merchant-media data to the one selected user includes communicating the accessed stored merchant information to the one selected user via the merchant-media arrangement.